11 August 2009

Not Exactly a Norman Rockwell Painting, Is It?

2 comments:

And where in the hell are the armed National Guardsmen when these protesters disrupt the attempt at political discourse?

I'm not following the teabagger "rebellion" very closely, but it sure seems like they are getting away with murder while they get treated with kid gloves. Unlike those who had the temerity to protest against racism, sexism, social injustice and war mongering in the past. That says it all, really.

We have this excerpt:This morning, Politico reported that Democratic members of Congress are increasingly being harassed by "angry, sign-carrying mobs and disruptive behavior" at local town halls. For example, in one incident, right-wing protesters surrounded Rep. Tim Bishop (D-NY) and forced police officers to have to escort him to his car for safety.

This growing phenomenon is often marked by violence and absurdity. Recently, right-wing demonstrators hung Rep. Frank Kratovil (D-MD) in effigy outside of his office. Missing from the reporting of these stories is the fact that much of these protests are coordinated by public relations firms and lobbyists who have a financial stake in opposing President Obama's reforms.

The lobbyist-run groups "Americans for Prosperity" and "Freedom Works", which orchestrated the anti-Obama tea parties earlier this year, are now pursuing an aggressive strategy to create an image of mass public opposition to health care and clean energy reform. A leaked memo from Bob MacGuffie, a volunteer with the Freedom Works website "Tea Party Patriots", details exactly how members should be infiltrating town halls and harassing Democratic members of Congress.